


A Date And Other Firsts

by smokeandmirrorscloakanddagger



Series: Bucky/Reader [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Anxiety, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, I love him, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Touch-Starved, Very fluffy, aka i have a problem, i love nervous bucky okay, nervous bucky is so cute and so sad, so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 05:25:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10757625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smokeandmirrorscloakanddagger/pseuds/smokeandmirrorscloakanddagger
Summary: Bucky is a nervous wreck that asks the reader on a date.It goes differently than expected.





	A Date And Other Firsts

**Author's Note:**

> So, I recently went black light mini-golfing and it was an experience. It inspired this. Also, nervous, jittery Bucky is my downfall. I love him so much. Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy!

“ _Wouldyouliketogoonadatewithme?_ ”  

Y/N looks up from her laptop and pulls her headphones out of her ears, “Did you say something?” Her brows furrow when panic overcomes Bucky’s features and he rapidly backs out of the living room, muttering apologies. Unbeknownst to Y/N, Nat is on the other side of the door smacking herself in the forehead.

Bucky shoots her one last awkward smile, mumbling something about promising to run with Steve before he bolts out of the room. In the hall Natasha stops him and silently raises a brow. “She didn’t hear me!” He panics, running his metal fingers through his hair only to hiss when the plates catch on the strands and pull on his scalp.

“So you ask _again_ , Barnes. You’re absolutely useless.”

He starts down the hall, shoulders slumped as he says, “She would have turned me down anyways.” When Nat doesn’t say anything in response he continues down the hall, glad that she would leave him alone about his crush on Y/N for once.

But he should have known better, should have known Natasha doesn’t just _leave_ things alone like that. “Bucky?” It’s not Nat’s voice that calls out to him.

Rooted to the spot suddenly he listens as Y/N’s footsteps come closer, terrified that she had heard them and figured out what it was Bucky had been attempting to ask. She appears in front of him with a blanket draped around her shoulders and a frown creasing her face. “Are you okay? You were kinda pale in there.”

He glances behind himself to find the hallway empty, Nat evidently having snuck off. Swallowing thickly he turns back to Y/N who looks even more worried as she says, “Uh, sorry I didn’t hear you. I was watching a movie on my computer and…Buck, seriously you’re starting to scare me, you look terrified and I-,”

“I, uh, I, well Y/N,” Bucky pauses, glancing around the hall trying to think of an acceptable excuse for his hasty retreat. “I wanted to borrow your headphones and then I saw you were using them and uh, yeah.” He scrubs at the back of his neck awkwardly in embarrassment at his shitty excuse and avoids meeting her eyes.

She takes a step backward and blinks, “Oh, okay. I have another pair if you-,”

“That’s not true.”

Confusion overtakes her features, “Oh. Uh, if you wanted the living room to yourself or,” her cheeks turn red, “if you didn’t want me around or something then you could have asked and I-,” She and Bucky are good friends but the way he’s acting right now makes her think maybe she’d done something to upset him. He’d been avoiding her lately too.

His eyes widen and he shakes his head, “No! No, Y/N, I uh-I’m tryin’ to ask you on a-,” The inside of his mouth feels like it’s filled with sand and he wonders where his famous charm has went as he continues to stutter at this girl. “God, I was-Nat told me that you might-and I thought-she convinced me you might-and Steve said the same thing-,”

“Buck, honey, you aren’t making any sense.” She lays a hand on his arm and rubs the inside of his wrist with her thumb, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

One deep breath, two. He can do this. Y/N might reject him but she wouldn’t be cruel, she wouldn’t stop being his friend. “I’m trying to ask you on a date.” Y/N lets go of his wrist in surprise.                            

She blinks slowly at him and then shuffles her feet uncomfortably looking anywhere but his eyes. “Did Sam put you up to this?”

“What?”

“Because that’s a really low prank to pull, Buck. I would never mess with your feelings that way if it were reversed-,” Sam had figured out she liked Bucky earlier this week and it would be just like him to out her. What she hadn’t expected is for Bucky to take advantage of that and make fun of her. Maybe that’s why he’d been dodging her all week.

He shakes his head vehemently, and with a sudden surge of confidence cuts her off and says, “I really like you. I want to take you on a date.” Then, tilting his head to the side, “Besides when have I ever listen to anything Wilson says?”

Quietly and without meeting his eyes she asks, “Really?”

“Yeah, really. I…asked Nat for help. I don’t, uh,” he tugs at the wrists of his long-sleeved t-shirt, “I, um, don’t really know how to do this anymore. I used to,” Bucky’s eyes brighten for a second and then dim as he rubs the back of his neck again. “’s all changed now anyways so it’s not like it matters.”

Y/N chances a glance at Bucky’s face and finds him looking at the floorboards and fidgeting. Good lord, all she wanted to do today was watch movies and eat an entire bag of candy but _this_ is _so_ much better. A grin forms on her face and finally Bucky meets her eyes. “It’s still mostly the same probably, Buck. Although I can’t speak from experience.” She pauses and then says, “Yes, I’ll go on a date with you.” Then, for good measure because she knows Bucky needs to be told things explicitly, she says, “I really like you too.”

For a second he doesn’t say anything, absolutely floored that she’s agreed. “Okay,” he says a little dazedly. “That’s-wow-okay. Great. Um, okay. See ya around Y/N.”

She giggles as he turns around and bumps into the wall a little as he starts back down the hall, “Hey Buck?”

He spins back around, anxiety once again in his eyes, “Yeah?”

“Well two things actually. First, unless you’re watching movies with me, which you _really_ should, you’re heading in the wrong direction. Your room is the other way.” Bucky looks mortified as he realizes he indeed had started going in the wrong direction. “Secondly, when are we going on this date? You usually tell the person a day and time,” she teases.

His brain stalls. _When_? Jesus, he really hadn’t thought he’d get this far. “Well, uh, what a-about-,”

Y/N reaches out and takes both of his hands in hers as his mind starts to be overcome with unease once again, “Bucky, it’s just me. Okay? Just me.” Her fingers rub circles over his skin, as they had many times before throughout their friendship, but _this_ is different. “Deep breaths. Y’know if I make you so nervous maybe we shouldn’t do this,” she grins cheekily at him so he knows she’s joking.

Bucky thinks for a second, lets her warm skin against his ground him. She’s always rubbed his metal wrist too even though she knows he can’t feel it the same way and that thought has him taking a deep breath and saying, “Friday? At 6, I’ll meet you at your door.”

“That sounds great,” she beams at him. “Now are you going to watch with me or do you have something else to-,”

“I’ll watch with you. What’re you watching?” He can’t go anywhere anyways, he thinks as he looks over Y/N’s shoulder. Down the hall peaking around the corner is Natasha with Steve (who looks like a proud father) and Sam (who is smirking at him).

They disappear as Y/N turns and they start down the hall toward the common room together. She wraps her fingers around his and doesn’t stop chattering at him.

Bucky still can’t believe his luck.

 

~

 

“So where are you two going?”

He pauses, halfway through buttoning his shirt up, “What?”

Steve glances up from the StarkPad in his hands where he’s lounging on Bucky’s bed, “You know…where are you taking her? What are you two going to do?”

Horror overcomes Bucky’s features. “I-I, Oh God-,” he whispers before bolting out the door with his shirt still half unbuttoned, Steve calling after him. His calls fall on deaf ears however as Bucky rips open their front door and runs to the elevators.

Two minutes later he knocks on her bedroom door in a panic, having known the key code to get into her apartment. He likes Y/N a lot and he’s been terrified since he asked her that he’s not only going to fuck up this date and a chance at a relationship but their friendship as well. She opens the door with concern already on her face that only deepens when she takes in his disheveled appearance.

“Are you okay?”

Y/N is wearing a white lace top and dark wash jeans, soft brown boots on her feet. Distantly he thinks he should tell her how beautiful he thinks she is. Instead he pants and stutters and watches confusion spread over her face. He’s been chattering at her and not saying much at all and Y/N’s muddled expression only grows. “You don’t want to go anymore? You don’t have to make anything up, you can just say so-,”

She doesn’t even sound upset with him, just very concerned and so Bucky interrupts her, “I didn’t make any plans. I didn’t even think about it. I don’t know where we’re going or what we’re doing or anything really. And Steve just asked me and I don’t know how to do this anymore and I’m sorry. I’m _really_ , _really_ sorry Y/N.”

A small giggle escapes her and she presses a hand to her mouth as her eyes widen and she looks embarrassed. Then she starts to laugh in earnest, clutching her stomach, as Bucky stares at her bewilderedly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s not funny. You’re just so adorable when you’re nervous,” she says as she wipes her eyes. Y/N glances up and smiles, “C’mon Buck.” She motions him in and stands him in front of her full length mirror. “It’s just me. It’s just like hanging out. We’ll figure out something right now. Together.”

“Okay,” he murmurs, staring down at her with fondness in his eyes as she starts buttoning his shirt up for him. She leaves a few at the top open before she starts rolling up the sleeves of his white button up, cuffing them halfway up his forearm. Just being near Y/N eases him, makes him feel better, “What do you want to do?”

Y/N pushes him toward her vanity and asks him to sit down. Then she pulls his hair up into small bun, moving in front of him to pull out a few pieces of hair to frame his face, “There. As handsome as you always are.”

He blushes, “Thanks, Y/N. You look lovely too.”

“Now,” she says all bluster suddenly, cheeks red from the compliment, smiling widely at him, “I think I know where I wanna go.”

“Name it doll,” he smiles up at her.

She pats his shoulder and moves to her dresser to put on some small earrings, “Mini-golf!”

Bucky frowns and turns on the seat, “Is that something people do now for dates?”

Another giggle leaves her, “Sometimes, mostly teenagers I think. But it’ll be fun to try.” Her eyes are alight in a way that lets him know that she isn’t telling him everything.

Narrowing his eyes at her, Bucky asks, “Is this going to be horrible?”

She pouts at him, “Wouldn’t it be a good time no matter what just because we’re together?”

“Well, I, yeah, o-of course, doll. I-,” he starts to stutter again.

“What’re we waiting for then!” She bounces out the door, leaving Bucky in her room with a soft look in his eyes.

 

~

 

  
Bucky stares at the paint set before him on the table and then at Y/N across from him as she vibrates with excitement. Around them children and their parents, teenagers on dates, and other patrons who look just as confused as Bucky feels swipe neon paint on each other’s faces. Its black light mini-golf, Y/N had explained to him on their walk over, after they had stopped for ice cream and Bucky had carefully slipped his hand into hers. You could paint your face with neon paint, put special glasses on, and everyone’s paint appeared 3-D in the darkened, black lit golfing rooms.

He swallows nervously and looks at Y/N as she arranges the paint that was given to him when he had paid. The whole thing concerns Bucky more than it should what with the dark rooms and the loud music he can hear coming from them. And now in the light he’s going to be expected to touch Y/N to paint her face and allow her to paint his. It’s all a little much in his opinion.

Y/N picks up a paintbrush and looks expectantly at Bucky. “Ready?” she wiggles in her seat.

Bucky glances around and then back at Y/N, “Y/N-,”

“Trust me, Buck. It’ll be fun I promise.” And she’s so excited, her eyes so full of light that all he does is lean forward and close his eyes. The cold brush lands on his face and he jumps before settling as Y/N laughs at him. “I’m gonna make you look real pretty, Bucky.”

“Alright doll,” he smiles but doesn’t open his eyes.

It’s quiet between them for a while as Y/N paints patterns over his face. The feeling is strangely good and only becomes better when she reaches out to take his chin in her hand, tilting his face this way and that. He relaxes into it and Y/N smiles fondly. “Enjoying yourself?”

He hums in response and leans into her hand, “It feels good.”

“Yeah?” She pauses to dip her brush into the paint again. “Y’know I knew that the dark rooms and everything might be a little much for you. If you want we can go after this.”

Bucky frowns and gives a gentle shake of his head, “No, I can do this. I go on missions. I fight bad guys. I can do this. It’ll be fun, like you said.”

She smiles brightly and smooths her thumb over his jaw before letting go of his face, “Who would have thought that Bucky Barnes, the world renowned assassin, would enjoy mini-golfing and face painting. I’m done by the way.”

He opens his eyes and takes the brush from her when she offers it to him, mourning the loss of her hand from his face. “Well you know that’s not all I am, sweetheart,” he murmurs as he swirls the brush in a cup of water they were also given, before switching to a different color.

When he looks up from the pallet it’s to meet bright eyes. “I know,” she smiles at him softly. “If I thought you were an assassin and only that I wouldn’t be here right now. You’re a lot more than that.” He has to look away as heat floods his cheeks.

“Close your eyes doll or we won’t ever get to the golfing part of this.”

She does as requested but says, “That would be okay. I like just talking to you. Even if you’re half nervous most of the time.”

“Pretty girls do that to me,” he says as he puts the brush to her face, swiping a green stripe down her nose and smiling when she giggles and scrunches her nose. Bucky grins widely, it’s easier to say things like that to her when he knows she can’t see him.

“Gee you gotta point her out to me when I can open my eyes,” she says cheekily.

He flips the brush around and taps her forehead with the end of it, “Well she’s right here. Looks like an angel.”

Her tongue pokes from between her lips, “No. You have the wrong person. Sam Wilson is the angel of the group. Wings and all.”

“Sure,” he grunts before continuing to press the brush over her face, careful to get the pattern he’s creating right. “I don’t know that I like all this paint, doll. Covers up your beautiful face.”

Another tiny laugh escapes her and she reaches out to take one of Bucky’s hands and squeeze it. “So precious. Such a flirt. You talk to all the girls like that?”

“Only got one girl,” he comments as Y/N blushes.

“That pretty one you mentioned earlier?”

He chuckles and leans forward to press a kiss to an unpainted part of her forehead, “Yeah, her. Although she’s a little hard to kiss right now. What with the paint and all.” Y/N’s face is scarlet under the neon greens and pinks and oranges when she opens her mouth to respond. Bucky cuts her off and says, “I’m done. You can open your eyes.”

She does and then demands they take a picture together, refusing to let him look at his face beforehand. After he sees the picture of them together however, messy paint all over their faces, Bucky looking concernedly down at Y/N who has her mouth open, tongue out and eyes squeezed shut, face scrunched adorably, he has to admit that its better this way. Funnier certainly. Y/N sends him the picture. No matter how the date goes he decides right then that the photo will be his new wallpaper.

They make their way to the darkened mini-golfing room, laughing at the way the paint glows on the other’s face with the glasses on. When they start to golf however, the courses 3-D, frustration overcomes Bucky and he has to remove the glasses. First because he keeps missing (only the first shot but still) and also because he can’t assess his surroundings as well as he usually can with the glasses on.

Y/N doesn’t say anything about it, only keeps her own on and laughs at herself when it takes about ten shots for her to get the ball in. She also doesn’t say anything when Bucky goes strangely stiff and angles himself differently around her, putting himself between her and whatever danger he sensed. It happens a handful of times and each time the perceived threat passes, Bucky waits for a snarky comment or an exasperated sigh but all she does is smile up at him and tell him it’s his turn again. Y/N uses it as an excuse to reach out and squeeze his hand reassuringly, enjoying the contact as much as Bucky is.

“You definitely won,” she tells him when they finish. Y/N plops down on a bench near the last course and pats the seat next to her. “Let’s sit for a second and admire the art.”

The entire place is covered with beautiful, modern 3-D art, matching the themes of the courses and so he sits next to her. He props their clubs up against the wall and says, “I think _you_ won. I was out of the running as soon as I took the glasses off.”

She smiles over at him and takes his hand, slotting her fingers between his own, “You still would have won. Two shots beats a hundred every time.”

A soft sigh leaves him as he clenches his fingers around hers, reaching out with his other hand to take off her glasses. “See those pretty eyes,” he murmurs, metal fingers tracing a path down her cheek delicately before disappearing. He raises their linked hands, “This feels good.”

“’Cause I’m so-,” she starts cheekily.

“I don’t know why. Maybe because I trust you. I don’t usually let people touch me.”

She tilts her head to the side as she examines him. “But you let me.”

“Trust,” he smiles over at her before sighing. “I’m, uh, touch deprived. They’ve…the therapists and all the rest, have been encouraging me to touch more. But it’s hard and terrifying. For a long time, touch meant pain. That only really started to change when I met you.”

Y/N scoots closer to him and puts her head on Bucky’s shoulder. “Is that why you liked the face painting bit so much? You were putty in my hands just then.”

Bucky takes his hand out of hers so he can wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Yeah,” he admits.

“I’m here, Buck. Anytime you need somebody to hold on to. Even if you decide I’m the worst date you’ve ever had.”

Affronted, he looks over at her. “Worst date? Darlin’ even if this went horribly it would still be the best just because you came out with me, unplanned and all. I didn’t expect you to agree to go on one with me,” he says fervently.

“You’re so cute when you get passionate,” she smiles and buries her face in his shoulder. “Wanna get outta here?”

He smiles, “Sure.”

They return the golf clubs and make their way back to the Tower, Y/N making a point not to let go of him the entire time. “You’re never going to be able to get rid of me, Buck. Not now that you’ve broken my heart.”

He pulls her to a stop on the sidewalk, anxiety clawing its way up from his stomach, “I broke your heart?”

She reaches up and wipes some paint away from his cheek, frowning when it doesn’t come all the way off, “Well yeah. You hold all the pieces together.” Y/N tucks some strands of hair behind his ear before leaning up to kiss his cheek.

When she starts to pull away Bucky doesn’t allow her to move very far before he reaches up and holds her face between his hands, “You broke mine too then. But I trust you to keep the pieces safe.”

“Yeah?” she breathes, smiling at him. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

“I think you can handle it,” he whispers as he leans forward, eyes fluttering closed, pausing just before their lips touch to give her one last chance to pull away. “I’ll keep yours safe.”

She murmurs a quiet, “I know,” before she closes the distance and kisses him, his hands moving to rest on her waist. His lips are soft and move slowly against hers, almost cautiously. So Y/N kisses him harder, encouraging him to pull her closer, kiss her fuller.

Bucky’s _just_ swiped his tongue across Y/N lower lip and she’s _just_ opened her mouth to him when someone wolf whistles at them. He pulls away with a growl, pulling Y/N into his side and angling his body between her and the whistler when he sees none other than Sam Wilson. Behind him looms Steve and Natasha with huge grins on their faces.

Y/N laughs and wraps her arms around Bucky’s waist, metal fingers going possessively to her hip as he stares Sam down. “They’ve been following us all evening.”

He sighs deeply and buries his face in her neck, “God, I know.”

“Nice paint job!” Sam shouts from across the street. She only laughs and kisses Bucky’s hair as he smiles into her neck.


End file.
